This month, meet the chairman of our board, Bill Alsover. Bill began serving as a member of the Community Foundation’s Investment Committee over 10 years ago and began working as a trustee on our board shortly after. We are so grateful for his dedication and contribution to the Community Foundation and to the community!
Bill’s connection to Newaygo runs deep, with memories going back to childhood summers spent on Pickerel Lake. One of his neighbors was William Branstrom Sr., one of the founders of Fremont Foundation, later renamed Fremont Area Community Foundation. The Branstrom family was a big part of the Newaygo County community, and their legacy shaped Bill’s early experiences.
After graduating from business school at MSU, Bill went on to work as everything from stockbroker to regulator for over 40 years. He returned to Newaygo County to live here permanently over 10 years ago. After receiving the Community Foundation’s annual report, he reached out to Carla Roberts, then-president and CEO. One shared lunch later, Carla invited Bill to become a member of the Investment Committee. Not long after joining the committee, he was asked to become a trustee. Bill recalls seeing the portrait of his neighbor William Branstrom Sr. and many of the early executives on the walls of the boardroom and feeling a connection to them and to the community.
When asked what Bill feels the role of the Community Foundation is in the community, he responded, “To bring positive change to Newaygo County and the surrounding communities. We’ve learned the power of working together with other stakeholders to multiply the effect of our investment. It’s impossible to address all the critical needs of Newaygo County by ourselves, but working together, we’ve made major progress.”
Bill expressed his enjoyment of feeling part of the community. He said, “The Community Foundation has found a diverse group of people to represent our area. I think we work well together and accomplish so much more together.”
In addition to serving the Community Foundation board, Bill works with the Pickerel Kimball Lakes Improvement Board and collects antique radios and midcentury modern quartz clocks.
